Orzo Caprese Salad

I’m very proud to be a member of the food blogging community. It’s full of so many loving and thoughtful individuals who understand the importance of the foods we eat and the choices we make as consumers. Today, many of us are joining forces to take part in Food Bloggers for Slave-Free Tomatoes; a special event organized by Nicole Gulotta of The Giving Table.

This day evolved from a separate amazing project: Tomato Love. Tomato Love is a recipe exchange taking place all summer with giveaways from sponsors such as KitchenAid, Cuisinart, and BigKitchen. Its purpose, aside from sharing recipes, is to raise awareness for the International Justice Mission’s Recipe for Change campaign. Until recently, I had no idea that Florida’s tomato fields were being referred to as “ground zero” for modern-day slavery in the United States. In the past 15 years, over 1,000 people have been freed from slavery in U.S. tomato fields. Today, it is our hope to bring awareness of this issue to as many people as possible.

Recipe for Change is a campaign led by IJM in partnership with the Fair Food Standards Council and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. They’re targeting three major supermarket chains this summer (Ahold, Publix and Kroger’s), and asking its CEOs to support the Fair Food Program. Corporations that join agree to pay a small price increase for fairly harvested tomatoes (1.5 cents more per pound), and promise to shift purchases to the Florida tomato growers who abide by these higher standards–and away from those who won’t. Major fast food companies, like McDonalds and Subway, have already endorsed the Fair Food Program, but the largest U.S. supermarket chains have yet to support this collaborative effort to eradicate modern-day slavery. Supermarkets can help eliminate slavery and other serious abuses from the tomato supply chain when they join the Fair Food Program. But in order to change its policies, CEOs need pressure from consumers.

Send a letter to supermarkets that do not support slave-free tomatoes using this link. It takes all of 30 seconds to fill in your name, email, and hit the send button. The more people we can encourage to participate, the greater the likelihood that supermarkets will change their policies.

Encourage the purchase of slave-free tomatoes from Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and take action. We can make a difference! And now, here’s my recipe using slave-free tomatoes!

I’ve been enjoying my new garden tremendously this summer. Tomatoes are definitely front and center! I have 3 different plants providing me with black prince heirloom, plum and cherry tomatoes. This is my first time growing anything and I can say with confidence that tomatoes are very easy to grow. Seriously, if I can do it anyone can. The farmer’s market is great, but there’s nothing like grabbing a tomato straight from the vine, bringing it into the kitchen and using it while it’s still hot from the sun. If you have a backyard, a deck or even a balcony you really should consider growing your own tomatoes.

For this wonderfully light Orzo Caprese Salad I also used homegrown basil and mozzarella from the local farmer’s market. A few high quality ingredients are what make this special. You don’t need fancy ingredients to make wonderful food. Ingredients made with love taste that much sweeter.

I actually have never tried orzo salad (I know I’m missing out) and caprese with orzo salad sounds so light and delicious! I’m jealous you have homegrown tomatoes! I live near the canyon where there are lots of wild animals and nothing, even flowers grows in my backyard!! They just hang out in our backyard…otherwise I’d totally grow my favorite tomatoes!! This is fabulous salad Jen!

I never thought about conditions for farm workers in the United States – and I should! Living in a New Jersey farming community, I see them toiling in the fields just a few miles from my house. Thank you for shedding a light on this issue.
Right now I have so many tomatoes from my garden, I don’t know what to do! Your recipe is much-needed at this time.

What an eye opener! I feel as though I’ve been living under a rock.
Thanks for letting us all know about this issue! I’ll definitely be more careful about the produce I buy.
May I have a bowl of this fabulous salad?! (And make it a rather large one, please!) Gorgeous! :D

Hi Jen, I came across your blog and I’m admiring your beautifully taken photos. I have never tried Orza, it sure sounds like a great salad. Wonder if I can find that locally where I live. When I was living in Texas, Whole Foods was my favourite place to go – its great they are also supportive of worthy causes.

It’s great to have our own vegetables in the garden. I used to have lettuce, but not anymore, now I only have mulberry and rosemary. I think having our own tomatoes could be nice. I will try as my son loves it.

Crap… There are so many delicious (including yours) recipes with orzo and I just can’t find it in any of my local stores. I think I might turn to almighty Internet to purchase some… Where do you buy yours?! \
btw, thank you for the information about Florida being a ground zero… I had no idea. Heading right now to fill the letter…

Hi, I’m Jen

I’m a Maryland native living just outside of Washington DC. I graduated from culinary school in 2010 and have been cooking and baking professionally ever since. My goal at Savory Simple is to create everyday gourmet recipes that are easy to prepare at home. Thanks for visiting!

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All content on Savory Simple is protected by copyright and may not be used without express written permission. If you’d like to use one of my recipes or photos, please contact me. If you wish to adapt one of my recipes, please rewrite the instructions in your own unique voice, and link back to the original post. Thank you!